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This wikiHow teaches you how to sever ties with your Facebook account. Before you do this, you'll likely want to save a backup of your Facebook information, such as photos and contacts. After your data is safe, you can proceed with deleting your account.

Steps

Part 1

Tying up Loose Ends

1

Let your friends know that you're leaving.Post a status telling your friends that you'll be deleting your Facebook account. This will give them ample time to swap contact information with you if they feel the need to do so.

This is a good place to leave your contact details if you want people to be able to contact you outside of Facebook.

If you would prefer to leave Facebook without a fuss, skip this step.

2

Decide whether or not to keep Messenger. Facebook Messenger is a separate mobile app that you can continue to use even while your Facebook account is gone. If you decide that you want to delete your Messenger account as well, do the following after deleting your Facebook account:[1]

Change your login information for any services that use your Facebook account. Apps like Spotify and Uber give you the option of signing in with your Facebook account rather than with an email address. If you selected this option when signing up for a service, make sure you change the preferred login to an email address or a phone number.

Most of these services will also allow you to log in with a phone number, so if you have one on record, you should be fine.

4

Delete posts that you don't want online. While deleting your Facebook account in and of itself will eventually remove all of your information from online, take care to delete any sensitive or personal posts that you don't want Google (or other search engines) to archive.

Archived posts are searchable after you deactivate your account, and can take several weeks to disappear from search engines.

5

Delete the Facebook app from your phone or tablet. Since you can't perform any of the next two parts' steps from within the Facebook mobile app, remove it from your phone or tablet.

Community Q&A

How do I know what else there is that makes it worthwhile to quit Facebook?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

If you find yourself spending, say, 10 hours a week on Facebook, make a list of all the other things you could accomplish in that time. Seeing this number of hours written down can make you feel the harsh reality that you're wasting your life away on Facebook. Here are some things you could do instead: Pick up a part-time job and save up (or even invest) that money. Teach your kid (or kid sibling) how to throw a football. Get fit. Spend time socializing with people in your real life. Clean your room. Volunteer. Read a book. Teach yourself a new language. Make a Papasan chair cushion. Listen to music and make it a routine. An album per day or so. Find a new hobby or activity to do. There is plenty else...

Can I deactivate or even delete my Facebook page but stay in a group I still want to be connected to?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

No. Once you get rid of your Facebook, you will be removed from any Facebook groups you're a member of. However, if that group is open to public view, you can bookmark it and view it as you please from that link.

If I delete my Facebook account, can people post things about me? Will it delete all my contacts?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

People can still post about you, of course, but they cannot tag you. They can't message you, they can't post on your wall, and they can't tag you on a post; your account is deactivated. If you've synced your contacts from Facebook previously, it will not delete your contacts.

If you deactivated your account, you can always reactivate it. If you set it to be deleted up to 14 days ago, you can cancel that. If it was set to be deleted 14 days or longer ago, then your account will be gone, but you can always make a new one.

You can give your current password to a trusted and good friend of yours and ask him/her to change it. Then only ask him/her if it is very important. This way you can't sign in to your account and thus it will make you quit using Facebook. Or you could just delete your profile.

Tips

Once you delete your Facebook account, you have 14 days to change your mind. If you do change your mind, simply log back into Facebook using your email address (or phone number) and password, then click Cancel Deletion when prompted.

"Kind of hard. Mostly I used Facebook to keep my self up-to-date with the games I play. But even then Facebook is a social media, and I rarely use it to chat with anyone else. I've deleted my Facebook account, so I hope I can be better by doing this!"..." more

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Stan

Jul 18, 2017

"I was heavily addicted to Facebook. I was spending most of my time on Facebook. Fortunately, this article gave me some tips and steps to avoid and quit Facebook, so it helps much."..." more

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Anonymous

Mar 3, 2017

"I loved the idea that I only maintain an Instagram account, as I love to share photos. I'd rather share with a handful of family members and friends rather than on FB. "..." more

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Anonymous

Feb 3, 2017

"I have permanently deleted Facebook and feel so much happier for it. When I have regrets, I come back to this article to remind me why I had to get rid of Facebook."..." more

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Anonymous

Aug 16, 2016

"Been contemplating not looking at Facebook and deleting it. I feel family pressure to stay on. But I don't like Facebook. Thanks for the article. great help."..." more

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Alberto Hernndez

Oct 7, 2016

"We used to live without FB, since I used it only to compare myself with the perfect lives of other people. "